Dark of the Night
by Nuttycheychey
Summary: Years later, Alice comes back to Underland permanantly, and the Oraculum says that she must become the other queen, but what happens when the Hatter gets involed? Based on "Tarrant's Dark of the Night" by RoseRed12393 with permission.
1. Return

**AN: Hey guys! I have beeen speaking with the creator of a video on Youtube called, "Tarrant's Dark of the Night", and she has allowed me to make a FanFic out of it. Keep in mind because of what we have planned so far this stoy has a 98% chance of jumping up to a M rating. still, hope you enjoy!**

It didn't matter how many times Alice Valerie Kingsley entered tis marvelous land; the sudden burst of color and the incomparable beauty of her Wonderland always stole her breath away. The flowers were in full bloom, the odd insects were flying; birds were singing and squawking, it was her world of wonder.

Alice took a small nibble of the "Eat Me" cake, or upulkuchen, and returned to her Right-Proper-Alice-Size as the Hatter called it. Once her dress was filled as it should be, she'd left her boots in the round hall, she ran as fast as she could, lifting her skirts so as not to trip over them.

The flowers gave loud shouts of joy at the sight of their returned champion; Alice smiled and nodded her head in greeting but didn't stop to chat. Excitement and adrenaline were pounding through her veins as she made her way through the Tugley Wood; after all, she was late for a Tea Party!

She leapt over tree branches and roots and climbed over large rock until she could hear the mad giggling and warbled music that accompanied the Mad Tea party, hosted by non other than the Mad Hatter himself.

She ran around the last bend in the over grown and uncared for path and hid behind a thick tree. Shyly she looked at the three, no four, guests. The Hatter sat in his usual chair at the head of the mismatched tables, animatedly telling a story, his precious hat askew on his orange curls. Mally sat at the top of a Christmas tree shaped treat rack and giggled madly at the Hatter. Thackery was at the Hatter's right about two seats away and staring at a brightly shining spoon and muttering, "My spoon, my precious, precious, precious spoon!" Repeatedly. And Chess sat at the end of the tables across from the Hatter, smiling at him - or perhaps it was really his hat - and stirring his tea, occasionally sipping it.

She smiled and readjusted her stance, a twig snapped beneath her foot as she did so and it echoed loudly in the clearing.

Every one stiffened and stopped talking except for Thackery. Alice sighed; there was no point in hiding now! She stepped out slowly from behind the tree until she was in full view of them all. Thackery stopped his muttering and pointed a shaky finger at her, his yes wide and askew as he stammered and stumbled for words.

"Do you have room for one more? I appear to be terribly late!" Alice said, smiling at her friends.

The Hatter stood from his seat and jumped onto the table, unlike last time his walk was not hurried, instead it was a full out run. He jumped off and stopped less than an inch from Alice. "Alice, Champion Alice!" He cried in joy and pulled her into a tight hug. "You're home, you're finally home Alice!" he shouted and lifted her up.

In the back round the others cackled until the Hatter finally set down the now dizzy Alice.

"Welcome back Alice!" Mally shouted in her squeaky voice as she ran to her. Alice used the table to steady herself and thanked her.

"Hello again little Alice!" Cheshire greeted from his seat, a wide smile on his face.

"Alice, you're late for your tea you naughty lass!" Thackery cackled and threw his tea cup at her. "Welcome back!" Alice barely managed to dodge the projectile in time. The Hatter came up to her and took her hand.

"Welcome Home, Alice!" He whispered and hugged her tightly and his lips softly brushed her cheek.

"I'm here to stay, Hatter."

**AN: Please read and review!**


	2. Questions and a place to stay

His eyes locked hers for only a moment when all of a sudden the little rambunctious rodent hopped onto Alice's shoulder, causing her to jump.

"What brings you back here to our neck of the woods?" Mally asked Alice, eying her and Tarrant suspiciously.

"Well, I just missed you is all and I felt as if my place is here, I suppose. I mean, everything in my world was going along just fine, but it just felt-"

"- as if it wasn't the same." Tarrant finished for her.

"Exactly," Alice said with a semi smile.

"So you are here for good?" Tarrant asked, almost eagerly.

"Well, I-"

Before she could answer, Tarrant took her by the wrist excitedly to whisk her off, his eyes coming back to full vivacious color. "Oh yes, we've so much to talk about ever since the Frabjous Day! So much ground to be covered between us, you must know absolutely everything! So much time, so little to do-"

"Hatter!"

Tarrant snapped back to his old self again, his eyes turning back to its regular green. "Fine, I'm fine," Tarrant struggled out, a little embarrassed.

Alice smiled. "Do you mind if we just take things one step at a time?"

"Oh, well why didn't you say so?" Tarrant bustled around again, pulling up a chair for Alice and preparing her a cup of tea. "Here, sit, sit."

Alice was immediately provided with a chair next to the Hatter's with his hat next to him on the table, much to the chagrin of Mally.

"Here, why don't you tell us of your escapades in the upper world?" Tarrant asked, starting to put sugar cubes into Alice's tea. To these few choices of words, everyone listened intently as Alice relayed a few of her stories to them.

"In China," she began sitting straight up in her seat to better see them all and cued Tarrant to stop with the sugar, "the royal and high-classed women wear dresses with sleeves that come down to their wrists and sometimes cover their hands; their dresses are very long and there are hundreds of layers!" She began and paused to sip her tea.

"Do they wear hats?" Tarrant asked. Alice smiled; she could always trust the Hatter to ask such a question.

"How do they fight?" Mally piped up, now laying on her stomach with her head rested in her hands.

"How do they keep from tripping, do they float?" Chess asked. His smile – as usual – was very wide and his eyes were shining.

"How do they eat if their hands are covered?" Thackery suddenly shouted, jumping up and down in his chair. "Does the food crawl into their mouths?"

"It must, for it would be very hard – although not impossible – for the women to eat without hands!" The Hatter argued.

"If it's hard then it's possible, if it's possible then it's impossible, if it's impossible then it's improbable!" Chess snapped.

"Surely it isn't impossible or else it would have to be incompatible with ideology!" The Hatter shouted and pounded his fist on the table loudly; Alice jumped and attempted to quell the arguing.

"Hatter, Chess," Alice tried to break up their quarreling, but it was a futile attempt for Mally chimed in seemingly like clockwork.

"Who cares about that? I want to know how they fight and what kind of weapons they have!" She shouted and jumped down from atop the treat holder. Alice made several more attempt to silence them and answer their questions, however it was someone else to – temporarily – stopped the madness.

"Stop it! I can't abide with all the 'I' words and yelling!" Thackery shouted, and in a spontaneous act dumped all the cold tea in his cup on the Hatter.

The Hatter shook his head angrily, splattering drops of the cold sugary tea all over every one. All were finally silent. Alice was purely stunned by how quickly Thackery had regained their attention. Tarrant quickly grabbed a handkerchief from his breast pocket and wiped away the tea that dripped from his face in a very stifled matter.

"Thank you Thackery. Now as for the first question, yes they wear a few hats. And I am sorry to tell you Mally, but the higher class women and the royals do not fight because they have guards to do that for them. And Chess, I have no idea how they walk without falling, I suppose it's just because of a lot of practice. And Thackery, they eat with utensils called chop sticks, two long stick that they use to pick up their food and eat. Like this," Alice picked up two butter knives and positioned them as she had seen and done in China. "See?" The others smiled in delight.

"What other places did you see?" The Hatter asked in delight.

"I have many pictures that were taken and that I drew, and a few things I maintained from them. In fact they're right here in my case." Alice reached to her left side and then suddenly remembered: she had been in such a rush to leave that she had forgotten the case; it was still home in her room! She took in a sharp breath and frowned.

"Alice, what is wrong?" the Hatter's brow creased. Being the life of the party, he hated seeing any one sad or worried.

"I have to go back above to get my case. It's still in my room above." She looked up and stared at the Hatter, noticing for the first time the setting sun of Underland behind him. "And besides, I may wish to stay for good, but I will have to continue going back for a short while, just until I find a place to stay." Her frown deepened.

"No Alice please don't go, don't leave us!" Alice stared at the Hatter. "The queen has sent out a royal decree of your return and McTwisp has been sent up to your world to retrieve you."

Alice paused for a moment. "The queen? What could she possibly want from me?"

"She didn't say," Chess started to explain, "she kept it in full confidentiality as far as I know; McTwisp himself even said that he didn't know the specific details, even with him being her number one messenger and advisor. There have been many rumors but none of them are sure."

Alice stared at the whole motley crew. "So you knew of the importance of me seeing the queen?" A little frustrated with them, she asked again, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Isn't it obvious? As soon as you returned you would have been too busy for us and we would never have enough time to hear your stories love." Chess said, his sad eyes shining with shame.

"We wanted to be with you again. Like when you were a child." Thackery said, frowning deeply.

"Even I wanted to have you around. I know I may not look and act like I don't like having you around, but I wanted very badly to hear your stories again now I know you are the Alice, our friend. The friend we enjoyed all of our adventures with." Alice was stunned to hear Mally speak up.

Alice took them all in. The Hatter's eyes shone with hope, Chess was no longer smiling, and Thackery was clutching his ladle in desperation, and Mally was standing, sniffling softly. Finally she felt a smile come to her face, "How could I abandon such wonderful friends? Truly how could I? The only problem is that I have nowhere to sleep."

"Why don't you sleep at Thackery's house then?" The Hatter pointed to the windmill house behind them.

Alice looked at the windmill, then the sunset, then at them and nodded.

"Well, alright. Just for tonight. But tomorrow you do realize that I need to see the queen."

"Understood," they all said in an unsynchronized fashion.

"And it's not like we will never be able to see each other again," she reminded them, "after all, all she wants to do is talk to me."

They all nodded in agreement, but there was an uncertainty to them.

Alice sat on the plush bed not long later, clad in only one of the Hatter's large purple shirt which he had provided for her and her bloomers. The scent of the room she was in felt comforting. It made her feel safe and as if she had finally belonged, just as the whole house did in fact. She laid back and hugged one of the pillows tightly.

"I'm finally home where I belong," Alice smiled as a whirlwind of thoughts went through her head- from the life she gave up to her sweet sentimental friends to what was so important that the queen herself needed to tell Alice. But finally after the endless waves seemed to cease, sleep soon took her over and clouded her senses.


	3. Promises Made

When Alice woke up the next morning it was to the sound of purring right by her ear and to a furry creature sitting on her and tickling her skin while licking her face. She giggled and reached up to stroke who she presumed to be Chess. A loud meow sounded in her ears, she finally opened her eyes and stared up at the gold and white tabby that had perched itself on her chest.

"Well hello there, might I ask who you are?" The feline answered with another meow and sweetly licked her face again, rubbing her head against Alice's cheek. Apparently this pussy cat could not speak like Chess, Mally, Thackery, and so many other animals. "Why don't we find something for you so you won't be after Mally and Thackery later hmm?" she sat up and gently picked up the cat.

As she walked down the steps the cat suddenly leapt from her arms and ran and jumped up onto the table in the dinning room. The tabby was bent over a porcelain bowl and was licking up a creamy gold substance. As Alice walked closer and got a better view of the table she saw the Hatter sitting there, sipping a cup of tea, jasmine from the smell of it, he stroked the cat's head and smiled.

"Good morning Calista, you're late for breakfast. Of course I believe it may have something to do with me not being in my room and sleeping downstairs for once. You see Alice needed a room for the night so I let her sleep upstairs so I made myself at home down here so I suppose you spent the night with her and likely woke her up to remind you of breakfast forgetting or not knowing that I was down here…"

The Hatter was suddenly cut off by the cat meowing in irritation, as if to say, "I get the point idiot, now shut up!"

"I'm sorry my dear friend." He said and stroked the cat's head again.

"Is she your's?" Alice asked from the door way. The Hatter jumped, frightening the cat but when she saw there was no reason for fear she returned to her breakfast.

"Yes and no. I found her a short while after you left. She was starving and couldn't talk, poor thing was living off rats that carry disease, she was very sick. Mally didn't like her at first, so I make sure to fill her belly with fish and milk and cream and sometimes chicken so that she won't be tempted to go after Mally; she does know that she's a friend though. Now though they will play a game every so often, no one gets hurt mind you."

Alice smiled and took a seat across from him, petting the cat.

"Forgive me for being so bold to ask, but was that your room that I slept in or was it merely a guest room?" the Hatter's eye brows rose up to almost meet his hairline.

"She certainly doesn't waist time," He thought. "It was a bit of both really, it used to be a guest room, but after we were banished here and frozen by time I could not reach my home, not that it would have mattered it was burnt down on Horvendush day, so the guest room was turned into my room. Thackery, Mally, and I carved a little doll house for her to sleep in when it rains but other times she just sleeps in one of the tea pots."

"Are you still banished here? Hasn't the White Queen removed your banishment by now?" The Hatter nodded.

"Yes, but for us this is our home, and we'll always be open for you."

"Well then, thank you for allowing me to sleep in your room; I'm sorry if it was uncomfortable for you to sleep on the couch." The Hatter shrugged.

"It was more comfortable than the dungeons of Crims." He remarked, "Forgive me, I'm being very rude, I suppose my manners have run away with the half of my sanity that is missing. Would you like some break fast?"

As if on queue her stomach rumbled loudly, Alice flushed and placed her hands on her stomach to clutch it, "Yes please, I've not eaten since lunch yesterday; I didn't have any of the treats for tea yesterday, only a few sips of the actual tea."

The Hatter stood and waked to the fire stove, a Franklin stove as it would have been called above, and moved the tea kettle to the back half. He grabbed a heavy black frying pan from a cupboard and set it down on the stove. "How do you like your eggs?" Alice smiled.

"Sunny side up or scrambled, doesn't matter to me really."

The Hatter nodded and went to a trap door that before now she had not noticed at all and lifted it up. "We place things down here with ice to keep food cold." He explained and hoped down into the cell. Alice was surprised to hear the Hatter cursing loudly; she ran to the trap door and peered down to see water splashed all over the Hatter and the floor. Calista jumped from the table to join Alice but upon seeing the water she ran off somewhere else in the house.

"What happened?" The Hatter angrily grabbed up a bowl of eggs and a small platter of butter. The Hatter cursed again.

"The ice is melted. Thackery forgot to shut the small door again." He muttered a few more curses as he made his way up the steps and to the stove. He set the items down and clutched at the counter desperately to calm down and control his temper and rising madness.

Alice ran out of the room to the hall closet and found several towels in and grabbed one, she handed it to Tarrant who gratefully took it and started drying his clothes. "Alice, please for give my language and choice of words," he finally said once he had calmed down. "I know that you are unaccustomed to such vulgar sayings, whether they are in another language or not. Forgive my mouth."

Alice smiled and moved closer to him, she placed her hand on his shoulder to reassure him. "No, your words and vulgar sayings are in truth nothing new to me. For the past few years above I have been in the company of sailors, the worst when it comes to language. You don't need to be forgiven, you slipped that's all."

The Hatter smiled and faced her, "oh Alice, how I have missed you." He sighed.

Alice smiled and touched his cheek, "You realize that I'll never leave you again? Any of you," The Hatter looked away from her, he swallowed hard then grabbed her hands tightly and bore into here brown eyes with yellowing orbs of fear.

"At first, but then you'll leave us again! I don't want that! Promise me you'll never leave, ever!" Alice winced, he was much stronger than what they eye would normally behold.

"Hatter, you're hurting me." He pulled her closer to his body.

"Alice, I am flesh and blood, I am a real man! I feel emotions, I have felt nothing but pain and sorrow since you left and those lords and ladies in the Queen's court that said you'd never returned never helped! My heart aches when you are gone, how was I to expect you to keep your word? Promise me! Give me your oath that you will never leave us or return above!" His voice was a low and frustrated whisper.

"Hatter, please! I have always kept my promises, I will not go back on saying that I won't leave you!" the Hatter froze, Alice took this as her opportunity to pull her hands away and cup his cheeks. "Hatter," he interrupted her.

"No, not Hatter, Hightopp, but what of the first, for if there is no first there cannot be a second or a third! What is the first? Water, flowers, wind, rain, singing, lightening, thunder… Thunder! Tarrant, Tarrant Hightopp!" His eyes brightened again.

"What on Earth do you mean Hatter?" the Hatter shook his head violently he took her hands again, gently this time, caressing them with his rough and stained fingers and the cloth of his glove.

"No Alice, not Hatter, not Hatta, not the Mad Hatter, not you, don't call me that any more Alice, we are friends. My real name is Tarrant Hightopp." Alice gasped as it fully clicked in her mind.

"_You actually had to think of what your name was?" _How horrid! The man before her nodded sadly.

"Yes, Chess has not called me by my first name since the day you arrived at the tea tables for Frabjous Day. Either no one knows my name, or they have become so used to calling me by that title they have forgotten as well." Alice gasped.

"That's horrible! Hatter, Tarrant, I don't know quiet what to say!" The Hatter looked pleadingly into her eyes.

"Promise to use my name. Please Alice, promise me?" Alice nodded.

"I promise." The Hatter sighed.

"Thank you, now I do believe I owe you breakfast while we wait for the others to wake up! Then when they're ready we'll head for Marmoreal!"

Alice smiled and took a seat at the table, "Sounds good to me!"


	4. A twist of fate

The voyage to Marmoreal was fairly quick, even with Thackery and Mally's antics slowing them, however the group of five made it to Marmoreal before midday and beat the noon heat that was so common in the Underland summers. Upon hearing that it was the Champion that stood outside the gates the guards immediately opened the steel gates and Alice was rushed inside. She was suddenly over come with lords and ladies and servants and knights and children, some not very old, and animals and creatures and beings of all sorts and all ranks crowding around her so that the Hatter and the others were forced further away from her. Mally grabbed for her hat pin sword, ready to poke some eyes out to get to Alice when the Hatter placed a firm but gently hand on her small head.

"Its no use Mally, let them rejoice and welcome back their champion; we had her yesterday and this morning. Let her be for now my friend." Mally sulked but let it be as her friend had said.

"Move aside, let me see my Champion!" Came the sudden and surprisingly loud voice of the gentle queen. The assembly parted and Mirana rushed forward and embraced her Champion, tears spilling from her big brown eyes. "Alice you have at last returned!" She hugged Alice tightly.

Alice for her part didn't know how to respond and looked to Tarrant for some sign of help, he merely nodded his encouragement then something he had said earlier came to her mind, "You can do nothing wrong in the eyes of the people, you are the Champion the only one who outranks you is the Queen and perhaps at some near point in the future the Royal Family, but if the Queen makes the first move I suggest you follow along to be polite, of course you don't have to, but it is common advice." So she returned the hug.

The Queen abruptly pulled away and took her hands, "Alice I must speak with you at once. Come follow me!"

The Queen led her away, Alice looked back toward her friends, the Hatter nodded again and mouthed to her, "We'll wait in my Hat Room." The Queen led her inside toward her personal studies and once they were inside she locked the door.

"I don't wish for us to be disturbed. Oh Alice, I'm so glad you have returned to us!" Mirana again took her hands and kissed her cheek. "Come sit, sit and drink some tea with me there is something very important I must tell you of!"

Alice sat in front of her desk and accepted the cup of tea that was offered to her. "The Hatter said that you wished to speak with me immediately, what is so urgent? Surely Underland cannot be in danger, or else we would not be sitting here drinking tea!" The Regal Royal shook her head.

"No, no dear Alice. Something much more exciting is to happen! I have read the Oraculum and it has revealed to me that you are to rule beside me as a Queen of Underland once again. You gained the throne when you were very young, but Underland has waited for you to grow and mature and now you are ready to rule by my side Alice! Please tell me you'll accept?"

Alice mulled it over, chewing her bottom lip. "I'm not sure. I would like very much to rule along side you, but how often would I be able to see my friends?" Mirana didn't miss a beat with her answer, she had thought on this long and hard after all.

"You may request for them to join your court! I'd be more than happy to turn Hightopp over to you should both of you decide so, Mally could start the mice guards for you and Thackery could become your personal kitchen staff." She persisted.

Alice thought for a long moment, "I think I shall discuss it with them and then give you my answer tonight." The Queen nodded and gave her leave.


	5. Me? A Queen? Surely you jest!

Alice ran through the halls, her haste concerned several others who tried to wave her over to welcome her back but she had her mind set on getting to the Kitchens and praying that she could be a lone with her friends. She ran barefoot through the marble halls until she finally had to skid to a stop outside the kitchens. She forgot to duck and suddenly found a white substance covering her person. She closed her eyes just in time and blew at the powder. Large clouds flew into the air, catching the attention of the three occupants.

"Might I ask what that was all about?" She opened her eyes and glared at three of her friends. They each pointed at someone else and said in unplanned unison.

"He started it!" Although as it should have been in Tarrant's case as he was pointing at Mally he still said he. Alice sighed and blew at the flour again.

"What were you doing?" Mally jumped off the table and ran toward Alice and rushed to explain while the other two started to clean up the mess but failed and began arguing again.

"Thackery was making pastries and he said there wasn't enough sugar, Hatter said there was too much and I said it was just right. We started arguing and The Hatta dumped a big bowl of flour on Thackery's head. Naturally a fight broke out between us." She said sheepishly.

Alice laughed animatedly and doubled over, finally she managed to speak through her giggles, "How am I to allow you into my court if you three are fighting and causing trouble?"

That got their attention, they stared at her. "Alice, what do you…?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry! That's what I was coming down here for; the Queen has said that the Oraculum has named me to be the next Queen to rule alongside Mirana."

The Hatter and the others gasped in delight. "That's marvelous Alice!"

"Yes but there is one catch, if I am to become Queen I request for all of you to join me as my personal staff! Only if you are willing to join me will I accept the position of Queen."

The mad trio looked at each other and each nodded with warm smiles on their lips. "Alice, I believe I speak for all of us when I say this, we are willing to join you!" Mally said after a short while.

"There really is no need to ask, it is a chance to be with you again Alice. Or as I should say, Queen Alice!" The Hatter took his hat off his head, which somehow had managed to avoid all the ingredients, and gave a regal and formal bow to her. Mally curtsied and Thackery held his precious ladle like a sword in front of his face and bowed to her like one of the Knights. Alice couldn't help but giggle at her friends antics, oh this would be perfect! She'd have no reason to return above, her friends would always be with her, and she could – had to – stay in the lands that she loved most! This was going to be a perfect life, almost a fairy tale!

…Or so she thought!


End file.
